Wounded Warrior Project Announces Launch of Online Support for Combat Stress

WWP Restore seeks to engage and educate warriors

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is pleased to announce the launch of WWP Restore. Restore is an online tool designed to deliver innovative educational content and self-help strategies to address combat related trauma and mental health issues like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) so prevalent among this generation of wounded warriors.  Although Restore is a self-help site, users will not feel alone.  Throughout the website, there are videos of real warriors sharing their experiences and offering solutions. These visual testimonials allow veterans to connect through shared experience.

"Technology is changing the ways that we communicate, connect and find resources," said Wounded Warrior Project Executive Director Steve Nardizzi. "For Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans returning home, they are the first veterans in history to have the internet and technology as primary tools in their readjustment process.  Restore offers a private and confidential environment where anyone suffering can feel safe exploring their symptoms and learning about coping mechanisms."  

Recent estimates report nearly 300,000 veterans currently suffer from PTSD or major depression, and that 320,000 veterans experienced a traumatic brain injury in deployment (RAND, 2007). Only about half of those who meet criteria for PTSD or major depression have sought treatment.

Restore allows warriors to take self-assessments and participate in individually tailored interactive skill-building exercises that provide practical ways to deal with combat stress.  The training modules, videos and resources can reach wounded warriors and their families without the means or inclination to seek care in a traditional clinical environment. All videos and lessons available through the site are password protected to ensure the privacy of users.

WWP Restore was developed in cooperation with subject matter experts at Boston University, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, and Columbia University.

Dr. Brett Litz of Boston University and the VA in Boston, one of Restore's primary developers says that "we built Restore to help veterans whose problems are amenable to self-help but are not likely to get the help they need, and to help make veterans who need professional help be better consumers of care.  We use video testimonials and present content that will resonate with OIF/OEF veterans.  Our goal is to create a sense of community and co-ownership in the process of healing and recovering from combat stress and PTSD."  

WWP's Combat Stress Recovery Program was developed to help service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems and cognitive impairment. The program, which also includes the week-long holistic group retreat, Project Odyssey, aims to address the mental health needs of our warriors by focusing on several key issues linked to combat stress, including the stigma attached to mental health, access to care, and relationship challenges.

About Wounded Warrior Project

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors.  Its purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured men and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. To get involved and learn more, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project